Canister oil filters with a plurality of filter elements stacked end to end have been in use. Tolerances on the length of the filter elements resulted in a large variation in the overall length of the stack of elements in the canister so that a spring and retainer were placed in the cover of the canister forming the end opposite the oil inlet and outlet. The filter elements have an elastomer seal on each end, which is forced into engagement by the spring forcing the dirty oil to flow from the inlet through the filter elements before passing through the outlet into the engine. During engine start-up a spike of high pressure oil impinges on the face of the filter element adjacent the inlet potentially compressing the spring and allowing unfiltered oil to bypass the elements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,987 describes an oil filter assembly for an internal combustion engine in which the filter element is held in sealed engagement by a spring acting on the same end of the canister as the oil inlet and outlet.